Sinking Deeper
by head-in-a-jar
Summary: [movie-verse] The third in my Crys Carlson series. A battle leaves Crys in a coma, and Abe is feeling guilty.
1. Part One

Sinking Deeper

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hellboy or any of it's characters. They belong to Mike Mignola.  
**A/N:** This is a movieverse fic. Any areas that are not explained in the movie will be filled in with comic knowledge and all further holes will be filled in with my imagination.  
  
Abe Sapien stared down into the face that had saved his life. It was calm but wan, almost hollow. This was a way he'd never seen Crystal Carlson in the short time he'd known her.  
  
Sighing, he passed his hand over her arm, "showing" her various images as he had been doing for the past couple of weeks. True, she was in a coma, but he knew she was reacting to him, he could feel it. Perhaps it wasn't doing her any good, but how much worse could she get? A coma was better than dead he supposed, though he sometimes wondered how she felt about it.  
  
"How's she doing?" Liz Sherman asked him once he'd left the girl's room.  
  
Abe shook his head. "No better, but no worse either."  
  
Liz nodded but said nothing. She knew how this must have been affecting Abe just for the simple fact that Crys was in this coma because she'd saved his life. Using her command of ice she had unintentionally frozen herself, almost to death. It was anyone's guess why she did it, they all believed she had more control over her power than that. Still, Crys was in a coma and Abe partly blamed himself. It seemed that even a psychic super intelligent fish man fell prey to some of the most basic fundamentals of human nature.  
  
"Why don't you go lay down?" Liz finally said, putting a hand on her friend's arm. "She'll be okay without you for a little while."  
  
Abe thanked her and retreated to his room. The familiarity of it soothed him, though he couldn't help but remember the last time he'd been in there before the accident.  
  
It was hours before the mission that left Crys in her current state. She'd come to see him, who knows why and as per usual she ended up yelling at him. Abe wasn't too put off by it, she ended up yelling at him every time they were together for any length of time. He didn't yell back, both because it wasn't his nature and he didn't feel he had too. Though he didn't like to invade people's thoughts without their permission, he took these opportunities to see what was really bothering her, and generally he found it was better just to let her get it out. Humans were like that, this one in particular.  
  
Shaking his head free of the memories Abe lowered himself into the tank he kept in the corner of the room. He was tired and his skin itched from being dry for so long. In minutes he fell into a restless sleep.  
  


  
  
Abe awoke early the next morning, around five am. He hadn't meant to sleep so long, but he supposed it was inevitable. The doctor assigned to take care of Crys warned him repeatedly that she may never wake up, but he knew otherwise. He wasn't sure how he knew, it had nothing to do with any psychic abilities, he just felt it.  
  
Skipping breakfast he headed out towards the medical wing and slipped into Crys's room. The chair he had been using the day before was still there, and he sat down after giving the charts and readouts a quick once over. There had been no change.  
  
From the chair he studied the patient before him. Dark circles encompassed her eyes, and her naturally pale skin had a sickly look to it. Her lips wore the faintest tint of blue, but they always did so it wasn't really unusual. She was already thinner than she had been and Abe knew that if she didn't wake soon her muscles would begin to go as well. Things were not looking good for the young woman who had once spent half an hour yelling at him over the placement of his rotten egg snacks. Suddenly he missed those days.  
  
Without saying a word to her he once again placed a hand on her arm "showing" her memories of her most recent past. This time though it felt different. He couldn't pinpoint it, but there was a restless agitated feeling to her.  
  
"Abe?"  
  
Her voice. That was her voice. His eyes shot open and he looked down at her, expecting to see blue eyes staring back, but there was nothing. She looked exactly the way she had when he'd entered the room.  
  
So wrapped up in his confusion, Abe didn't notice Hellboy entering the room. "Hey Blue, you really gotta stop doing this to yourself."  
  
Abe looked over at him, and Hellboy could tell there was something wrong. It wasn't easy to do that with Abe, but the two had known each other for years. "What's wrong?" Hellboy asked.  
  
"Nothing I… I think I may be suffering from fatigue that's all. Either that or I'm losing my mind."  
  
Hellboy smirked. "Either one is possible."  
  
"I just thought I heard her speak. She said my name."  
  
"Are you sure it just wasn't one of your memories? You have been spending a lot of time reliving them."  
  
Abe shook his head. "No, that wasn't it."  
  
"What then?"  
  
"I don't know. It's almost as if she was speaking to me with her mind."  
  
"Can she do that?" Hellboy asked, confusing now settling over his face as well.  
  
"No."  
  
"Can you do that?"  
  
"No."  
  
"It doesn't make any sense then."  
  
"Red, since when does anything that happens to us make sense?"  
  
"True. Still, you may just be losing your mind like you said. You're losing sleep at least."  
  
Abe decided not to tell him he'd actually slept the night before, as it would probably just make him sound even crazier. "Maybe."  
  
"Hey, I'm getting breakfast, want some?" He didn't actually expect a yes, but he wasn't going to take no for an answer anyway, Abe knew this.  
  
Reluctantly he pulled himself from the seat. "I should, I haven't eaten."  
  
"Alright then, let's go get us some food."  
  
End Part 1.

**A/N:** This is the first story I wrote with Crys in it, the other two were done for backstory so people could get to know her a little better before tossing her into a coma. By now she's been with the BPRD for several months.


	2. Part Two

**

Sinking Deeper Part 2

**  
  
Abe was back in the hospital room, something that surprised absolutely no one. Hellboy had distracted him with breakfast and then handed him off to John Meyers who was having some difficulty with his paperwork. Abe knew what they were doing and he appreciated it, but it didn't mean he wouldn't go right back when they were finished. This was different though, this time he was going in with a distinct purpose. He was going to find out why he'd heard her voice, even if it killed him.  
  
He took his seat and placed his hand on a pale arm. There were no images, no memories this time however. This time he searched. He let his mind reach out and do what he hated doing uninvited. As where most people's minds were a jumble of thoughts, her's was simply darkness. He was beginning to feel rather foolish when he heard her again.  
  
"Abe, is that you?"  
  
He was too surprised to respond.  
  
"Please don't leave this time, it's so lonely here." The voice was a little more empty and pleading than he'd ever heard it before, but it was definitely Crys.  
  
"Crys? Yes it's me, I'm here."  
  
"I know." He could almost detect a smile in her voice. "You've been here the whole time, showing me things I'd forgotten."  
  
"So it worked then, you were responding."  
  
"Yes, it worked. I was losing myself you know… it's easy to do here."  
  
"But where is here? Is this your mind? Why is it so dark?"  
  
It was unusual for Abe to ask so many questions, but since he was already seemingly in the mind of Crys's body, he wasn't able to probe her consciousness at all. It scared and confused him in equal proportions.  
  
"I think so, but it isn't always dark. Sometimes I see things, the images you send me. I try and remember them on my own but they get all muddled. I think my body is dying Abe, and it's taking my mind with it."  
  
"No, you aren't dying. You don't seem to be getting any better, but you aren't getting worse either," Abe insisted.  
  
"You're relying on the knowledge of machines. Electronic readings, reports, files, printouts, they all mean nothing to me here."  
  
"But they mean something to the doctors. You're being taken good care of."  
  
"Maybe. I guess we'll find out before too long won't we? I don't think it will be much longer, I can feel bits of my consciousness fading."  
  
"That's only because you aren't using it," Abe reasoned, not sure if this was the truth or not.  
  
"Maybe," Crys repeated. "But now you can talk to me, and how could I die with such a lovely conversationalist on my side?"  
  
Abe couldn't help but laugh.  
  
"I'm tired," Crys said, seriousness once again invading her tone. "Please come talk to me again, I'm afraid this darkness is going to drive me mad."  
  
"Of course I will. You said it yourself, I've been here the whole time. Why would I leave now?"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
And it ended. Abe was jolted back to the world of hospital beds and a dozen buzzing and beeping machines. He was also exhausted, even to the point that he had a hard time getting up.  
  
Still, he managed to stumble out into the hall, and leaning on the wall for support he started off towards his quarters. Halfway there he was spotted by Liz, who ran to his aide.  
  
"Abe, what's wrong?"  
  
He tried to speak but failed. Whatever happened in that hospital room had drained almost all of his energy and made him wish he'd worn his respirator. He didn't normally wear it unless he was on a mission, but he was afraid he'd have to start.  
  
With Liz's help Abe managed to get into his room and the tank he slept in. While he rested for a few minutes, Liz glanced at his many bookshelves and found an old photo album to look through.  
  
"I talked to her," Abe finally said.  
  
"You what?"  
  
"I talked to her. I spoke and she spoke back."  
  
"She's awake?"  
  
"No. We didn't speak like that. It was like I was inside her mind."  
  
Liz tried to process the information. "You mean you talked to her telepathically?"  
  
"I don't know. I don't think so, neither of us can do that. But I am able to look into other people's minds."  
  
"And right now that's all she's got."  
  
"Exactly. I think that might be why we were able to talk. But it exhausted me, as you saw."  
  
"Well I'm not surprised. You hardly sleep, you hardly eat… you look like hell."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"You know what I mean. We're all worried about you and now you might be able to see why. Besides, now you have no choice but to sleep and eat."  
  
"I have to talk to her again. She thinks she's dying. I tried to tell her otherwise but she's right, there's only so much the doctors can do to keep track of her consciousness. She could wake up to be a totally different person and have no idea who she is."  
  
Liz nodded. "Then you should rest. I'm going to go talk to HB about this, see what he thinks. I'll bring you something to eat in a little bit and you better be in here when I get back."  
  
Abe would have replied was he not already asleep.  
  
**End part 2.**   
  
**A/N:** I'll be honest, the idea of movie-verse Abe asking so many questions _does_ bother me, but I suppose even a super intelligent psychic can get befuddled at times. Other than that I think I'm pleased overall with this so far.


	3. Part Three

**

Sinking Deeper Part 3

**  
  
"If he can talk to her maybe he can pull her out of the coma," Hellboy reasoned.  
  
Liz took a long drag from her cigarette and exhaled slowly. "I don't know. Right now he doesn't even seem too sure of what he's doing. But he's going to end up wearing himself out if we don't watch him."  
  
"Abe knows how to take care of himself Liz, and besides he thinks this is his fault."  
  
"Exactly. We don't need him dying of exhaustion to prove a point."  
  
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation, and in walked John Meyers.  
  
"I stopped by the hospital wing and actually didn't see Abe there. I thought maybe he'd be here with you."  
  
"He's sleeping," Liz said, earning her a shocked look. "He really had no choice, he almost passed out."  
  
After the confused look only got worse Liz explained the situation.  
  
"Well that's weird."  
  
"You're so articulate Meyers," Hellboy said sarcastically.  
  
Meyers ignored him. "We should probably tell the doctor about this, it could be seen as some sort of progress."  
  
"I don't know," Liz said. "They haven't been too thrilled with Abe's visits as it is, they could see it as interference."  
  
Meyers sighed. "So we're back to square one."  
  
"Not exactly. She may not be awake but she's talking, even if Abe is the only one she's talking too," Hellboy said, lighting a cigar.  
  
Meyers excused himself from the smoke filled room and Liz and Hellboy tried to concentrate on more pleasant things. What good was discussing it anyway? They'd know more tomorrow when Abe talked to her again.  
  


  
  
It had reached dinnertime and no food was brought to Abraham Sapien's quarters. He had slept for a good part of the day, but for once didn't chastise himself for doing so. Instead he headed down to find something to eat. His body was screaming for food and he had no intention of ignoring it.  
  
As he walked he wondered what had happened to Liz. He supposed she had lost track of time and was probably somewhere with Hellboy. But where was Meyers?  
  
"Hey Abe, you're still here?" It was Nick, head of the kitchen and the best damn pasta chef Abe had ever met.  
  
"Why wouldn't I be?"  
  
"Everybody else left, said there was something going on at the museum."  
  
Abe's hunger suddenly made no appearances. The last thing he wanted was to be excluded, but in his current state he was probably considered a liability.  
  
"You want something to eat before I head back? Dinner's still warm." Nick asked, clearly not registering Abe's disappointment. It was an easy mistake given the lack of emotional range in his features.  
  
"Yes, please."  
  
Nick hurried in and grabbed a plate of lasagna, bringing it out a few minutes later. Abe's hunger hadn't really returned but he picked at the plate in front of him, knowing he'd need his strength to talk to Crys again.  
  
"What's wrong is it too chewy or something?" Nick asked, a chef's vanity apparent in his voice.  
  
"Oh no, it's fine. I just have some things on my mind that's all."  
  
"Like that girl, the new one? Is she doin' any better?"  
  
Abe was a little perturbed that it was so obvious. "No, she's still in a coma."  
  
"It's a damn shame too. Legs like that, hell I'd give-" He was cut off by a raised webbed hand. "Sorry."  
  
Abe finished eating and handed Nick the empty plate, grateful for the escape. He had no use for the remarks of hormonal men, especially when it concerned his friends.  
  
"Oh, Mr. Sapien," a nurse said once Abe had reached Crys's room. "I didn't expect to see you here tonight, what with everyone gone and all." He knew she wasn't happy to see him, she never really was.  
  
"I had some work to do of my own Miss Prosser. Hellboy and Liz are more than capable of handling themselves."  
  
She gave a curt nod and scurried out of the way. Abe wasn't sure why his presence seemed to bother some of the nurses, but he wasn't going to try and figure that out now.  
  
Moving on, he entered the room and took his usual place next to the bed. When he touched Crys's arm this time he felt an almost electric sensation as opposed to the agitation of earlier.  
  
"Crys, are you there?" Abe asked, reaching out with his mind.  
  
This time he saw her, not the emaciated figure he knew he was sitting next to, but the woman he had seen nearly die to save him.  
  
"I'm right here, can you see me?"  
  
"Yes, but… how?"  
  
"I can see you too."  
  
And Abe realized he could see himself as well. This was all getting more and more complicated as time passed.  
  
Crys laughed. "I wanted to see you, so I can. My mind, my rules I guess."  
  
"This is…" His voice trailed off as the darkness around him became Crys's sleeping quarters.  
  
"Maybe you're right, maybe I'm not dying," she said, a marked improvement in her mood since the last time.  
  
"Why couldn't I see you before?" Abe asked, finally finding speech again.  
  
"I didn't know I could do it. It wasn't until I called out to you and knew you'd heard me that I realized my mind was stronger than I'd thought."  
  
"Have you tried-"  
  
"Waking up?" Crys interrupted. "That's all I've tried. Every time I try the darkness comes back and it feels even thicker. It's like I'm drowning sometimes, only it's tar instead of water."  
  
Abe reached out and touched the high backed chair across from the bed Crys sat on. It was solid, so he tentatively sat down.  
  
"How long have I been out?"  
  
"About a month and a half."  
  
"Great. Much longer and I won't be able to talk when I wake up." She was saying when and not if, which Abe saw as a good sign.  
  
"You've lost a lot of weight."  
  
"I bet I look like shit, don't I?"  
  
He didn't reply.  
  
"Yeah, I thought so," Crys said with a laugh. "That's okay, I don't think I'll be entering any beauty contests in the near future anyway."  
  
"Why did you do it?"  
  
The seriousness of his tone caught her off guard. "What do you mean?"  
  
"You almost died saving me."  
  
"You're in my head and you have to ask? I thought you were psychic."  
  
Abe sighed. "It doesn't work like that I'm afraid. So you'll just have to explain."  
  
"It's simple. I set off a freeze knowing it would kill that big ugly lizard… thing. I didn't notice that you were in it's path until I'd already set things into motion. If I hadn't been acting like such a hot shot I would have realized what was going to happen but I thought I had it under control. By that point it was either move your ass out of the way or watch you die. Were you hurt?"  
  
"A little, just from you pretty much throwing me across the room."  
  
She smiled. "Adrenaline, it comes with the ice." After a moment of silence she continued. "Besides, you guys barely know me, if I died it would be no big deal. If you died people would miss you."  
  
"People miss you. I do. Liz, Red, Meyers, we all do."  
  
"Meyers? I thought he hated me. He sure as hell tried to keep me off the team."  
  
"That's only because you tried to kill me."  
  
She blushed. "I was just trying to distract you guys."  
  
"I know. I understood everything, which is why I told them all that I trusted you."  
  
"Appreciated. Hey, I think this is the longest we've talked without me getting pissed off about something."  
  
"Maybe near death experiences change people."  
  
"Yeah, well I'm still pretty damn near death. But maybe you're right. Besides, you were never really the one I was mad at anyway."  
  
Abe refrained from telling her that he knew that already and simply sat and listened.  
  
She was more than willing to continue. "I was usually mad at myself, I have been a lot lately. I used to seem so together, nothing could get under my skin. But that's how I'd been trained. I'd never really been with anyone who cared for me before, I had thought Alex did but…"  
  
She was speaking of Alex Cavanaugh, the man who had taken her in after she killed her abusive foster father. Alex had given her all the love and attention she'd never been shown, but at the same time trained her to kill. She'd spent fourteen years as an assassin for the Church of the Oracle until she wiped out the entire congregation, Alex included.  
  
"It's okay, you're human. It's normal to actually have emotions that go crazy every now and then," Abe assured her.  
  
Tears were forming in her eyes and she looked like a truly broken woman. "But you don't, you never lose your cool."  
  
He left his chair and instead sat next to her on the bed, putting an arm around her shoulders. "I'm not human," he said, wiping a tear off her cheek. "And I do lose my cool sometimes, I just hide it well."  
  
It was obvious that fatigue was settling over Crys's mind as the room began to slowly fade.  
  
"I should go, and you should rest."  
  
Crys nodded. "Thank you so much for coming. I know it must be hard on you."  
  
"It is, but it's worth it. We'll get you out of here, don't worry."  
  
"I'll hold you to that. Goodbye Abe."  
  
End Part 3 


	4. Part Four the end

**

Sinking Deeper Part 4

**  
  
The next month was an exercise in patience. Abe had been temporarily suspended from all missions unless absolutely necessary due to the strain visiting Crys put on his body. He hated that it had come to that, but he reasoned that without him visiting her Crys could possibly lose focus and let her mind die.  
  
Unfortunately as the third month closed in things were taking a turn for the worst. Crys's body was slowly beginning to shut down just as she'd feared.  
  
It was during breakfast that Hellboy approached Abe with his idea.  
  
"Red, I can't simply pull someone from a coma."  
  
"Why not?" Hellboy asked. "Not too long ago you'd have said you couldn't take to someone telepathically and you are."  
  
"This is different."  
  
"Which is my point. What's the worst that could happen if you tried?"  
  
"Well, she could die," Abe stated plainly.  
  
"How much longer is she going to live like she is? Just think about it, ask her."  
  
Abe nodded and excused himself from the room, turning the idea over in his brain. It actually made sense, but it would be very dangerous. He'd have to ask Crys about it before he even considered a course of action.  
  
"Abe what's wrong?" Crys asked as soon as Abe was able to connect with her.  
  
"Things aren't looking good."  
  
"It's happening isn't it? I really am dying this time."  
  
He nodded grimly. "But Red has an idea and though it could work the chances are slim."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
He explained what Hellboy had suggested, adding his own insight to clarify things a bit. He wanted to make sure she understood the risk they'd be taking.  
  
"What have we got to lose? If it doesn't work I'm most likely dead soon anyway."  
  
Her blunt answer didn't surprise him, but it stung. He wondered if she had any idea what she'd be leaving behind if she died.  
  
"So when can we do this?" She asked.  
  
"Not now, I've already used a lot of energy talking to you. This isn't as tiring as it used to be, but it still takes a lot out of me. Tonight maybe, after I've rested."  
  
There was little in the way of hope in Abe's voice and Crys picked up on it. Maybe she was foolish for getting her hopes up, but she really didn't have any other choice.  
  
"Thank you for being such a good friend to me," she said, sitting next to Abe and placing a hand on his arm. "I know I probably don't deserve it but-"  
  
"Crys, don't." This was not the time for last goodbyes, not now.  
  
As was her nature, she ignored his plea. "Without you I probably would have died weeks ago. I would have just given up. I'm not the tough fighter people seem to think I am."  
  
He might have cried if he had the capability. Instead he simply put his arm around her when she rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
They sat in silence for a while, neither sure what to say. Finally Crys lifted her head and looked up at him.  
  
"You should probably go," she said. "You need to rest."  
  
That was a change from Abe's normal telling Crys the same thing. "You're probably right."  
  
Before he could stand she leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Next time I do that it will be the real me, I promise."  
  


  
  
It was ten o'clock pm and the entire team was gathered around Crystal Carlson's bed. Abe could feel how nervous everyone was without even trying, but it in no way matched how he felt.  
  
He sat next to the bed and gave his last instructions. "Whatever happens do not interrupt me. And your first priority is her, I'm in much better shape than she is."  
  
When everyone agreed he rested both hands on her arm. This time instead of calling out to her she was already there waiting.  
  
"Time to go," eh said, taking her hand in his.  
  
She smiled but was unable to move. "I don't know if I can."  
  
"I need you to fight. You say you aren't a fighter but you are. You can do this."  
  
He pulled with his mind, almost losing his grip on her several times. She was trying her hardest to help but he could finally see what she meant when she had said she felt like she was drowning. The darkness threatened to swallow her whole but Abe would be damned if he'd let that happen.  
  
From the side of the bed Meyers was the first to notice Crys twitch. It soon went from a single twitch to her entire body shaking. Liz held tight to Hellboy's shirt and they all watched and waited in anticipation.  
  
What seemed like hours passed, but in reality it was only about ten minutes. Abe's strength was rapidly draining and he only thought he had enough left for one final tug. He'd have to do it then or risk losing her forever.  
  
Putting every last ounce of his energy into it he pulled. His brain felt ready to explode but he pressed on, fully intending to pass out long before he'd ever give up.  
  
Suddenly Crys stopped shaking, and the others watched as Abe was knocked backwards by an unseen force. They watched and waited, no one daring to even take a breath.  
  
"Am I dead?" Said a frail voice, rusty from months of silence.  
  
The entire room seemed to exhale at once.  
  
Liz gave her friend's arm a light squeeze. "You're okay."  
  
Hellboy looked a little dazed, finally explaining why by his utterance of: "It actually worked."  
  
While everyone else was reacting to Crys's awakening Meyers bent down to see how Abe was doing.  
  
With a considerable amount of difficulty Crys managed to sit up, and upon doing so she saw Abe on the floor. Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh no. Please…"  
  
"He's alive, he just passed out. He should be fine after he's gotten some rest." Meyers said, smiling at her relief.  
  
Rest. Crys felt exhausted herself but rest was the last thing she wanted. All she'd been doing for almost three months was resting, and on top of that she was afraid that if she closed her eyes she'd slip back into darkness. "I never thought I'd see you all again," she said softly. "I thought for sure I was going to die right here in this bed. It's nice to be back."  
  
"And it's a good thing too because I think I'm going to need a vacation after carrying Abe's share of the work," Hellboy joked.  
  
Meyers looked up. "Well it will be a while before her strength comes back, her muscles are probably pretty weak."  
  
Hellboy smiled. "I think we can manage for a little while longer. But when you're back, I'm taking a break."  
  
The End 


End file.
